Additional Help For Identity Theft Victims

For Lost or Stolen Bank Account Information Or
ATM Card

1. Call the bank and close your bank account(s)
2. Open a new account with a new account number
3. Get a new password from the bank, to access to your new account
4. Do not use your mother’s maiden name or the last four digits of your Social Security number for the password
5. Follow up by writing a letter to your bank. Send the letter by certified mail with a return receipt requested.
    

For Lost or Stolen Bank Checks

1. Have your bank to notify the check verification company that it uses
2. Report the stolen checks to the check verification companies that retail stores use.
3. Contact the major check verification companies and ask them to notify retailers who use their databases to not accept the checks from your closed account.
   • Call TeleCheck at 1-800-710-9898
   • Call Certegy, Inc. at 1-800-437-5120
4. To find out if the identity thief has passed bad checks in your name, call SCAN at 800-262-7771
    

For A Stolen Driver License Or DMV-issued ID

1. Contact your local DMV office immediately, to report the theft
2. Have them put a fraud alert on your license
3. Call the DMV Fraud Hotline at 866-658-5758 (toll-free)
4. If the thief is using your license as an ID, then you may want to change your license number
5. Make an appointment with someone at the DMV
6. Take a copy of your police report and copies of bills or other items that will support your claim of fraud
7. You will need to prove your identity
8. Take documents such as a recent passport, a U.S. military photo ID, or a certification of citizenship or naturalization
9. The DMV will issue a new driver license or ID card number when you meet all the requirements.
    

For Stolen Mail Or Your Address Is Changed By An Identity Thief

1. If you think an identity thief has stolen your mail or filed a change of address request in your name then Notify the Postal Inspector
2. To find the nearest Postal Inspector:
   1. Look in the white pages of the telephone book for the Post Office listing under United States Government
   2. Go to the Postal Inspection Service’s Web site at www.usps.com/websites/depart/inspect.
       

For Social Security Number Theft

• To report a SSN theft, call the Social Security Fraud Hotline:  1-800-269-0271.
• If you think someone may be using your SSN to be eligible for work, then check your Social Security Personal Earnings and Benefit Statement. Get a copy:
  •  By calling 1-800-772-1213 or Online at www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7004.pdf
  • Get a Request for Social Security Statement (Form 7004) at www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7004.html.
• See  “Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number,” at www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html.

See the Topic on Social Security Number Protection
 

If A Debt Collector Contacts You

1. Inform the debt collector that you are the victim of identity theft
2. Tell them that you dispute the validity of the debt they are trying to collect
3. Tell them that you did not create the debt and are not responsible for it
4. Send the collector a follow-up letter restating the same things
   • Include a copy of your police report and of any documents you’ve received from the creditor
   • State in he letter that a situation of identity theft exists
   • Send the letter by certified mail with a return receipt requested
      
5. If the debt collector is not the original creditor, you should send the letter within 30 days of receiving the collector’s first written demand for payment.

Additional Resources

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